Candyman
by CeliaEquus
Summary: Steve is intrigued by a video clip he sees while he's out shopping, and Tony helps him purchase it on iTunes. However, Steve was NOT expecting lyrics like that! Disclaimer: I don't own the Avengers, or any other Marvel thingummies, nor am I making money from this.


"Candyman"

Steve stood, gaping at the television screen in the window of the electronics store. He'd just been passing on his way to pick up art supplies, when the forties-style video caught his attention, and held it. Those three girls were – he guessed – supposed to be The Andrews Sisters. Reintegrating himself into the twenty-first century had involved studying the decades since, so he recognised the fifties-style shots as well. The colours were so bright, and the people all looked so happy and innocent…

He just wished he could hear what they were singing.

A salesgirl approached him as soon as he stepped inside, and he felt kind of bad about just wanting to ask a question. She waved her hand.

"Ask away," she said.

"That… uh, that video which was just on the TV," he said, pointing at the end of the clip on another set nearby. "What was that?"

"That's 'Candyman', by Christina Aguilera."

"…Oh?"

"Yeah. Have you heard it?"

"No, but I'd like to. And I'd like to see the whole thing."

"You could just watch it on Youtube," she said, leading him to the cash registers. "But if you've got an iTunes account, you could buy it, and listen to it whenever you want."

"An eye-tunes account? I guess I'll have to ask my friend about that."

"Sure. She can help you set it up." The girl looked at him shyly from the corner of her eyes, and he blushed.

"I haven't got a girlfriend," he said. "O-or a boyfriend," he added quickly. "I just live with a whole bunch of… friends." He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck for good measure. She giggled.

"You get your friend to set you up with an account. Would you like to buy an iTunes card? Then you can redeem it, and use the credit to buy songs."

"Does this… iTunes have a lot of songs?"

"Oh, honey." She shook her head. "You need to get up to speed on technology. Have you been living under a rock?"

Only 'living' in the ice. "Something like that. Sorry."

"Hey, no need to apologise." She waved her hand again. "Your friends just haven't explained enough. To answer your question, yeah. It has _lots_ of songs. Classical, jazz, rock, pop…"

"Jazz? Like stuff from the nineteen-forties and earlier?"

"Yeah, of course. You got Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Billie Holiday. Everything and everyone, practically."

"Great!" Steve said, and he beamed. "How much?"

"Just start with a twenty-dollar card. You can buy more credit later, if you need it."

* * *

Tony was bemused by Steve's questions, but he explained patiently and thoroughly, patting Steve on a back as he left the super soldier to it. In addition to the twenty dollars, Tony insisted on adding five-hundred dollars.

"If you want to get caught up on this stuff, my friend," Tony said, "you're gonna need a lot more than that. Run out, let me know. `Kay?"

"Thanks, Tony."

Now Steve was powering through the search, adding heaps of songs – and even movies – to his growing download list. Then he remembered the reason he'd wanted this iTunes thingy in the first place, and tried the search.

Eventually, he asked JARVIS for help in spelling the last name. He grinned when he found the list, and immediately bought the song and the video clip. Thanks to Tony's internet speed, they were downloaded within seconds, and he was soon watching the video.

He just watched the first time, forgetting to listen to the words, caught up in the visual feast and the familiar harmonies of a by-gone era, the era that was his home. So he played it again, and listened carefully to the lyrics.

And his eyes nearly fell out of his head.

"I can't be hearing this right," he said, and he pulled the bar… thingy back to the beginning.

Nope. He'd heard right.

…Well, this was more blatant than anything Cole Porter had ever written. Even by today's standards, surely this was considered racy?

Actually, judging by the stuff Tony and Clint watched – and listened to – this was probably tame.

"Poor Cap," Tony said, making Steve jump when he heard the voice and felt the hand on his shoulder. "When JARVIS told me what you were looking up, I had to come and see your reaction for myself. Gotta say, I'm impressed you haven't had a coronary."

"Uh… thanks?"

Tony clapped him on both shoulders, then wandered off to the kitchen. "I think you need a drink."

"Just tea," Steve said faintly, turning back to the computer. "I really wasn't expecting that."

"Did someone recommend it to you? If so, I owe them a medal," Tony muttered.

Steve suspected he wasn't meant to hear that last part.

"Nah," he said. "Just saw it somewhere."

"Watch it again. I'm sure you'll grow to like it."

Steve looked longingly at the video, images he should have found comforting…

And he did.

It was funny, this tenuous link to the past, but it showed that people didn't forget, still loved the music enough to use it as inspiration. Miss Aguilera remembered, iTunes remembered… everyone remembered. The artists of long ago would never be forgotten. This was _proof_.

Yes. Steve would grow to like this song.

* * *

**I was thinking to myself, "What if Steve saw 'Candyman', with a certain set of expectations which were… proven wrong?" So I decided to write this. Wasn't sure where it would go; in fact, it was just the germ of an idea, with no beginning, middle or end. I had originally thought of someone making Cap a mix tape.**

**And then this happened.**

**Now I'm tempted to make a fan fic banner for it. Thoughts?**


End file.
